Rising From the Ashes
by Mr. Malvagio
Summary: The final days of the Republic and the Jedi Order are near. Dark times lay ahead, but something about Obi-Wan, unknown to everyone, even to himself, is revealed as he begins to undergo a series of changes.
1. Prologue

Title: Rising From the Ashes

Timeframe: During and after ROTS

Genre: Drama, Action, Semi Crossover

Characters: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, Dooku, Palpatine/Sidious, and more to come

Summary: Certain events in Episode III happen differently, all of which leads to the rise of a phoenix.

Authors Note: I had the idea for this story for awhile, and I couldn't resist writing it. I hope this will be as fun for you guys to read, as it is for me to write it. Please post as many comments as possible, and please feel free to point out any mistakes I made. Please keep in mind that some background information about some of the characters (like stuff from the books, comics or established canon) was slightly altered for this story.

Disclaimer: While some parts are based on the novelization of ROTS and the X-verse, it's all still property of the mighty Lucas & Marvel. In the same regard, I do not own any of characters, or any other affiliates. I am not making any money off this story. I own nothing, etc, etc.

_Prologue_

_30 years before Empire Day…_

_The speeder dove to the depths of Coruscant's lower levels, one of the most bleak and dangerous places on the entire system. Jedi Master Yoda sat in the passenger seat while his companion and former padawan, Yanis Dooku, sat in the driver's seat steering the vehicle to their destination._

_Dooku had been piloting the craft for almost an hour now. "How much longer are we going to keep at this, master?"_

_"Patient you must be. Soon will..."_

_At that very moment, Yoda suddenly felt the surge of energy again, but stronger this time._

_"Wait, closer we are getting."_

_"Where to now master?"_

_"Turn left, somewhere around here it is."_

_Within a few moments they came upon a truly mesmerizing sight. In front of them they saw dozens of ships and speeders floating high in the air in front of a large residential building. On the ground, they saw many people trying to exit the building, each attempting to carefully make their way past the front doors that seemed to be continuously opening and closing at a fast pace. Once past the doors, they, along with dozens of other pedestrians on the street, ran away in fear. A small amount of people stayed behind to continue watching the spectacle before them._

_"Alright, now what is this all about?" Dooku said somewhat worriedly._

_"Found what we are looking for, I believe we just have."_

_"This is too strange master, are you sure about this?"_

_"Handle this we can, be confidant."_

_"It's just that I have a strong sense of foreboding. Why didn't we assemble a group to assist us, why did we have to come here alone?"_

_"A most delicate matter this is, Yanis. The less involvement by others, a better chance at success and a peaceful correspondence I feel there is."_

_"I just feel we should have taken some more precaution though."_

_"Called here for a reason we were. Trust me if not the force."_

_"I can't say I see things the way you do, but I'm with you on this one as always."_

_"Thank you my friend."_

_As Dooku moved in closer, Yoda told him to land on the street below. As they stepped out of the vehicle, it took less than a minute for it to shoot up in the sky and join the others._

_Dooku looked up in astonishment. "Shall we proceed then?" Dooku said bluntly. Yoda nodded in agreement._

_The two made their way to the entrance of the residential building. Yoda tried using the force to handle the front doors, but there was no effect. He was about ready to try something else when Dooku suddenly stepped in._

_"Don't worry my friend, I can handle this" said Dooku with a smirk._

_Before Yoda could say anything, Dooku cut the doors down with his lightsaber, and then used the force to fling the pieces off in the distance._

_"Thank you, Yanis, but no need to show off is there. Bother to find another way inside did you?"_

_Dooku just continued smirking, his usual expression when ever Yoda would lecture him. Yoda sometimes worried that this kind behavior would rub off on Dooku's young apprentice, for young Qui-Gon Jinn was very impressionable. He worried for Dooku as well for he would often showcase his abilities and skills like this when fearful. Perhaps it provided some reassurance, and if so, he could see how it could be hard habit to break._

_On the positive side, Dooku's action enabled the several people still inside to pour out more quickly. After everyone else had finally cleared out, Yoda and Dooku stepped inside the dank lobby of the building and weren't too surprised to see that things were just as strange inside as they were outside. There was smoke everywhere and various pieces of concrete, rubble, pipes, and glass floated around them. Most of the doors were doing the same thing the front doors had been doing, several lights were continuously flickering on and off, and water from various broken water pipes floated upwards; an unusual yet beautiful sight._

_Dooku looked around the lobby and spotted the lifts. Yoda saw them as well. A few of them had been blown out of their repespective shaft and lay shattered on the lobby floor which suggested that they had fallen from a higher level. To their surprise, however, some of of the lifts appeared to be functional. They entered one._

_"Time to get to the bottom of this."_

_Yoda tried sensing where in the building the source of the energy was coming from and then instructed Dooku to take them to the tenth floor. When they stepped off the lift, they saw that this is was the floor where the other lifts had been blown out. They walked ahead and came upon a long dark hallway. As they proceeded down it, they noticed that the doors to the apartments seemed to be blown inwards until coming upon the apartment at the very end of the hall. The door had been blown outwards and lay in pieces on the carpeted floor. As they stepped inside, they were both startled by the amount of energy they felt._

_As they cautiously explored the apartment they saw that there were cups, furniture, broken shards of glass, and other various items floating around everywhere. They came to a hallway and saw what appeared to be the indentation of a person burned into the carpet with a pool of blood in the middle of it. Beyond that they saw something that appeared to be glowing at the foot of an empty doorway at the end of the hallway. As they approached it, they saw that the glowing was coming from a red hot heap of goop that had once been a door._

_Carefully stepping over the molten steel, the two Jedi walked in the room. They saw that much of the room was blackened and deteriorated, as if it had been dissolved by some great force. Yoda was the first to notice that there was someone else in the room. A small boy was huddled in a corner with his head down on his lap and in front of him laid what appeared to be a dissolved blaster._

_Dooku stood back as Yoda slowly approached the boy. Startled, the child looked up, instantly making eye contact with the old Jedi master. They both stood there for a moment looking into each other's eyes, as if they were trying to mind read one another. The bright daylight from the shattered window in the room highlighted his features._

_The child looked to be no more than eight years old. He had blue-grey eyes and auburn hair. His face was stained with ash, and his eyes were wet with tears. While he looked innocent, Yoda couldn't help but notice the dark undertone in the boy's expression. It didn't take too long for Yoda to realize that it was this child in front of him who was the source of the energy._

_To Dooku and Yoda the boy felt like a maelstrom of power, taking them both aback. The amount of power within the boy was overwhelming, like a blinding beacon in the force. The boy noticed Dooku who was still standing in front of the doorway. He quickly stood up and backed himself against the wall, a look of fear and uncertainty on his innocent face._

_The boy eyes darted to the two strangers in front of him, and he spoke in a panicked voice. "Who are you?!"_

_Dooku walked forward and quickly spoke up. "Don't be afraid of us, were not going to hurt you."_

_Yoda continued. "Here to help you we are, trust us you can."_

_"Trust you?! Who are you?!" The tension was apparent in his tone._

_In order to keep the boy as calm as possible, Yoda gave him a reassuring smile and calmly responded._

_"Jedi masters are we. Know about the Jedi do you?"_

_"Y...Yes."_

_"Then no need to fear us there is"_

_The boy didn't look any less apprehensive. Dooku eased his guard and tried to further commune with the boy._

_"We're good people. All we want to do is help."_

_The boy's face told them he wasn't buying it._

_"Really?" His response was tinted with bitterness._

_"Yes, we do."_

_"You think I need help?"_

_"Yes, we both do. You can trust us."_

_The boy said nothing, but his cold stare told them they didn't have his complete trust._

_"What happened here young one?"_

_The boy didn't know what to say because he didn't really know himself. Only moments ago he had awoken to find himself in his room, blackened and dank. He had gotten scared and huddled in the corner, and then his two strangers arrived moments later. He was looking around the room when his eyes came to the blaster on the floor. He just looked at it with a blank expression for awhile, until it suddenly all started coming back to him._

_His eyes widened in horror as his mind replayed what had happened. Tears started running down his cheeks and the room began to shake slightly. Dooku looked on in interest, his previous fear replaced by fascination, but Yoda just stayed where he was as if he didn't notice a thing. The boy's resentment changed to anguish as he fell on his knees._

_"I don't know why but my dad took that...," He pointed at the blaster "and shot my mom. I tried to save her, but I couldn't." The boy started to sob and the shaking intensified._

_"Then he tried to get me, so I ran in here. He followed me, but I don't know what happened after that. Everything just went dark, like if I was asleep, and when I woke up he was gone."_

_Yoda and Dooku didn't know what to make of this, but they knew it wasn't good. The boy looked at the blaster again, and tried to fight back more tears. Yoda and Dooku were saddened by this and were now more determined to help him. Now that both the boys' parents were nowhere to be seen, it seemed like child was all alone. They now knew the fate of the boy's mother, but what had happened to the father? Where were the bodies? Perhaps those questions were best left for a later time._

_"No need to worry now, over it is. Come with us I think you should" said Yoda._

_"What?" The boy sounded both surprised and confused, also wondering why the short green fellow talked so strangely._

_Dooku sensed this and smiled, and then spoke next. "This isn't a good place for you to be right now. We think it'd be best if you come with us?"_

_The boy just stood there for a moment, but he managed to give a faint smile._

_"Do you really want me to?"_

_"Of course we do"_

_"Does this mean I'll be like a Jedi or something?" the boy asked curiously._

_"Know about that my companion and I do not young one, although much potential we're sure you have. However, truly great is your power. Just how much power you have, I do not think you realize. A great gift it is, but harm it can cause to you and others if not in control of it you are. Teach you we will how to control it, to use it for a good cause, but only if you'll let us."_

_"I...I don't know."_

_"Trust us you can, never forget that."_

_"But we don't even know each other."_

_"Not beyond compassion are the Jedi. Our duty it is to help and protect," Yoda said warmly. "We promise to do whatever we can for you, if come with us you decide to. Even if you do not, try to be there for you in any way we can we will, if you allow us, and always know that turn to us for anything you can should you wish to do so._

_Hearing Yoda's words were comforting and gave the boy newfound hope, and it helped him to finally make his decision._

_"I'll…I'll go with you."_

_Yoda reached his hand out to the boy, who slowly grabbed it and came to his feet. Now that the boy had finally calmed down the slight shaking stopped. At the same time there was a deafening noise coming from outside. Dooku glanced out the shattered window and noticed the floating ships had crashed back down on the ground._

_Yoda gently patted the boy's shoulder, and led him away from the corner. Now close to the boy, he felt a dormant presence within his psyche. This presence in the boy dwelled deep within his subconscious mind. Even though he could always read force signatures quite well, Yoda could not tell if the presence in the boy was of the dark or light side of the force._

_It harnessed all the pure and unadulterated power he had felt earlier and it felt like it had its own personality, almost uncontrollable. Despite this the boy's normal active mind was completely different. It was sane, and in control which was reflected in what he saw in the boy now. Right now the boy appeared as normal as any other child, but nonetheless he had somehow managed to tap into his subconscious mind as earlier events had proven. Yoda knew he would have to keep a close eye on this boy, and plan his future very carefully._

_"Your name tell me young one?"_

_"...I'm O...Obi-Wan. Who are you?"_

_"Jedi Master Yoda I am" said Yoda._

_"And I'm Yanis Dooku" said Dooku._

_"...Nice to meet you both."_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Battle of Coruscant

_The Invisible Hand_…

Dooku approached the two Jedi with a smile, having anticipated this moment for years.

"Anakin, this time we'll do it together."

"I was about to say that."

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine began to panic at the sight of Dooku.

"Get help! Your no match for him, he's a Sith lord!"

Obi-Wan simply smiled at Palpatine. "Chancellor Palpatine, Sith lords are our specialty."

Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi let their brown Jedi robes fall to the floor. A quick smile touched Palpatine's lips.

"Your swords please, we don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

"You won't get away this time, Dooku."

The two ignited their blue blades and approached the Sith lord.

"Just because there are two of you, do not assume you have the advantage."

With that, he ignited his crimson blade and the fight began. He quickly parried the first series of attacks while he began thinking up a clever strategy. He stepped back for a moment.

"I've been looking forward to this."

Anakin gave Dooku a hard glare.

"My powers have doubled since the last time we met Count."

"Good, twice the pride, double the fall."

The boy's boasting humored him, but he would have to find some other time to laugh. He parried the next series of attacks with incredible ease until all three blades locked together. He held back the two blades with little strength until he quickly delivered a powerful force push to Kenobi's face. Obi-Wan went reeling across the floor as Dooku dashed for the stairs, followed closely by Anakin.

Glancing at Obi-Wan, Dooku couldn't help but pity him. What was done to him by Yoda all those years ago was such a shame, and thinking about it always angered him; however, there was no point to dwell on it now.

He continued blocking Skywalker's blows with ease, but he had to admit that the young man had changed considerably since Geonosis. Obi-Wan quickly got up and followed Dooku and Anakin up the stair case. The two super battle droids that had flanked Dooku earlier were making their way down towards him and began firing away, but they were soon hacked to pieces by his lightsaber. Palpatine cheered them on from his seat, despite his shaken appearance.

Obi-Wan reached the balcony, where Dooku had thrown Anakin against the wall. Before he could even raise his blade, his throat began to constrict. Before he could realize what was going on he was lifted off his feet and thrown across the room. His head was smashed against the wall, and then his body crashed onto the floor below.

Dooku took the advantage presented to him, and used the force to send a piece of the platform crashing down on Obi-Wan's unconscious body. With renewed vigor, Anakin sprang up and delivered a hard kick to Dooku's face. He fell over the edge of the platform, and landed on his feet like a cat.

Anakin jumped down and continued his onslaught on Dooku. With a series of inhumanly fast spins and twirls with his lightsaber, Dooku barely managed to block all of Skywalker's blows. Perhaps he had underestimated the boy, but he wouldn't give up now. Their duel continued until they got into a saber lock, so now it was a battle of sheer strength.

"Why are you holding back? Have you not learned anything in the past three years?"

Through the force, Dooku was able to feel Anakin's anger rise. So far everything was going as planned.

"I sense great fear in you Skywalker. You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them."

Suddenly Anakin ripped his lightsaber out of the lock, and began to attack with raw power. They began moving across the room until they were in front of Palpatine. Anakin was going faster than before, and Dooku began to fear for his life. Did his master even know what he had gotten him into? From his chair, Palpatine leaned forward and looked at the two combatants with a gleeful smile.

Anakin pushed Dooku back, and almost made him fall over. Dooku tried desperately to block Skywalker, but it was all over when he felt something burn through his right wrist. His right hand fell off at the wrist, his lightsaber still clutched in its fist.

As his hand fell to the steel floor, he cried out in pain and fell on his knees. Anakin called Dooku's lightsaber to his free hand and ignited it. He crossed both blades and held them at Dooku's neck. Dooku looked at Skywalker with pleading eyes. He didn't expect this to happen, and now he feared the worst.

However, Palpatine seemed to be delighted with this turn of events.

"Good, Anakin, good. I knew you could do it."

Dooku stared at Palpatine, wondering what he was going to do now.

"Kill him, kill him now."

The betrayal was expected, but the fear that followed hit so hard that Dooku began to turn white. He finally realized this is what Sidious wanted from the start, to make way for a new apprentice, Skywalker. He should've known, and now it was too late.

"No! Please, Chancellor, you promised me amnesty!"

"Only if you called off the attack, and left my friends alone. You did neither, so now you'll be dealt with once and for all. Kill him Anakin."

Anakin stared at Dooku, and began to remember all the things he put him and Obi-Wan through. He started this war, caused the death of countless millions, and had come close to killing Padme. He couldn't allow this man to live after all the things he'd done. Palpatine was right, he had to die.

Just as Anakin was about to deliver the finishing blow, Dooku's eyes suddenly flared.

"So this is what it's come to then," said Dooku, who then turned his gaze back towards Anakin.

"I must congratulate you Skywalker; you have caught me in a most desperate situation. You may have gotten the better of me but mark my words boy, it'll never happen again. I'm afraid I can't give you the pleasure of killing me yourself."

With his remaining hand, Dooku quickly reached down to his belt and took a pill out of one of the pouches. He threw it in his mouth, and swallowed hard to make sure it went down quickly. He stared at Anakin and Palpatine coldly.

"You'll both pay dearly."

With that he started convulsing, and white foam started dripping out of his mouth. He fell to the floor, and the life drained from his eyes. Committing suicide with poison pills was a tactic used by spies and traitors to keep their mouths silenced forever. It was a humiliating death for the great Count Dooku. Palpatine just stared at Dooku's body with anger, while Anakin just stared in surprise.

Palpatine quickly changed his expression before Anakin noticed, and played along with what had happened. Anakin bent down and checked for Dooku's pulse, just to be sure, and found that it had stopped. He couldn't sense any life in him through the force as well. Count Dooku was indeed dead. He stood up and faced Palpatine.

"I didn't expect this from him, but what's important is that he's dead. I'm proud of you Anakin, by defeating Dooku in battle you practically forced him to die. I suppose it was too much for his ego to handle."

Anakin used the force to release the shackles on Palpatine's wrists. The old man gave a sigh of relief, and rubbed his reddened wrists.

"But what I did was wrong; I mean I almost killed him myself. I shouldn't have done that, it's not the Jedi way."

"Don't conflict yourself Anakin, it is only a natural habit. Did he not cut off your arm, and has he not tried to kill you on several occasions. You wanted revenge, and you had every right to take it. Don't you remember what you told me about your mother, and the sand people?

Anakin just looked away in shame. Palpatine stood up from the chair, and began striding forward. Anakin followed until he came upon Obi-Wan, still caught under the fallen platform. He bent down and checked his pulse, which was still steady and strong.

Palpatine looked back at the two, and couldn't help but feel disgusted. He had hoped that Dooku would dispose of Kenobi, but he would have to find another opportunity to do so. Once he was out of the way, significant ties between Anakin and the Jedi would be cut.

"Anakin there's no time, we must get off the ship before it's too late."

"He seems to be alright."

"Leave him or we'll never make it!"

Anakin could understand that Palpatine was shaken from his ordeal, but he was insane if he thought he would abandon Obi-Wan here.

"His fate will be the same as ours."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When every one had left the general's quarters, Dooku's left hand twitched. Suddenly Dooku's body stirred, and then he stood up. Dooku looked around the room to make sure no one was around. He wiped off the foam from his mouth and called his lightsaber to him from where Skywalker had dropped it.

The pill was a complete success, for it was meant to only feign death. It was a very sophisticated pill for it fooled even Sidious and Skywalker, which proved the claim that even force sensitives would be fooled by it. Now that he was a "dead" man, he could plan his next move in the shadows. Sidious would pay for his betrayal, as would Skywalker for maiming him.

This was only the beginning.

_Authors Note: Well the story's flash forwarded to ROTS, but expect some flashbacks in future chapters._


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Escaping

"The elevator isn't working" Anakin said as he hit the button several times.

Anakin tried pressing the button once again, but there was no point, there was no response. He took his com-link and tried to call to R2.

"R2, activate elevator 3224."

In the hangar, R2 rushed to the console and tried to get the elevator working. Out in space, a star destroyer was bombarding the ship with its laser cannons. The droids were quick at firing back, but the clones were faster and better prepared.

Suddenly one of the laser cannons from the star destroyer managed to get a shot through the faltering shields of the _Invisible Hand_. It hit one of the droid's laser cannons which erupted in a ball of flames that carried on to the other cannons and the barrels of ammo around them, causing a massive chain reaction of explosions.

The explosions shook the entire vessel, and then the ship began to go down by the head as it fell out of orbit. As the _Invisible Hand_ started to fall vertically, whatever that wasn't secured to something began to fall towards the front of the ship.

In front of the doors to elevator 3224, Anakin and Palpatine were taken by surprise when they began to lose their footing. Forcing the doors to the elevator open, Anakin struggled to climb up into the elevator shaft with Obi-Wan on his back. He and Palpatine both pulled themselves up, and began running down the now horizontal elevator shaft.

On the bridge, the crew struggled to get control of the ship. General Grievous kept himself standing upright by digging his steel talons into the floor.

"Fire the emergency booster engines!" yelled Grievous.

The captain hit a series of buttons, and in a manner of moments the ship began to level out. The captain turned to Grievous who had released his grip on the floor.

"We're leveling out sir" announced the captain.

Meanwhile the trio running down the elevator shaft began sliding down as everything began to turn back to their normal angles. Anakin grabbed on to a cable, and Palpatine quickly grabbed on to Anakin's right ankle. Palpatine looked down and shuddered when he realized how far up they were. He was quite uncomfortable for one of his greatest fears would be to fall down a bottomless pit.

Anakin tried to think what to do next, until he heard a screeching sound coming from above. He looked up and saw the elevator speeding down towards them. Anakin quickly reached for his com-link in a desperate attempt to get R2 to halt the elevator. Neither he nor Palpatine noticed when Obi-Wan's eyes suddenly opened.

Obi-Wan sensed the oncoming elevator, and as it came closer, his eyes suddenly began to flare like wild fire. The elevator had come close to reaching them until it suddenly screeched to a halt now that Obi-Wan had it under his control. He then sent it flying all the way back up until it crashed into the ceiling causing it to explode.

The fire in Obi-Wan's eyes dispersed, and then his eyes closed as he fell back into unconsciousness. It had all happened so fast that neither Anakin nor Palpatine, who's focus was on the oncoming elevator rather than Obi-Wan, weren't able to notice a thing. Anakin, however, was taken aback by what he had just seen. He assumed that it was R2's doing, but then what explained that odd surge of energy he had just felt? Palpatine's face bore a similar quizzical expression.

A few moments later Obi-Wan gained consciousness again but slower and more natural for someone who had just gotten their head smashed against a wall. His head was in severe pain from the fight with Dooku. It felt as though something was throbbing and crunching in his brain.

It took him a few moments to become aware of his surroundings, and when he did he gasped. He saw they were hanging above the elevator shaft, and noticed that he was perched on Anakin's back, and saw Palpatine holding onto Anakin's ankle for dear life. The last thing he could honestly remember was being knocked out by Dooku, and was surprised to see how much had happened while he was unconscious.

"Did I miss something?" he said.

"Welcome back, Master."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story."

"Where's Dooku?"

"He's dead."

"Pity, he could've been pretty helpful right about now" said Obi-Wan with a sad smile.

"Can we talk about this later; we still need to find a way out of here."

All of a sudden Anakin heard another screeching sound coming from above. All of them looked up to see the burning remains of the elevator falling down. Anakin sighed in frustration.

"Oh no not again."

"Jump!" shouted Obi-Wan.

Anakin let go of the cable, sending the three of them on a free fall. Anakin and Obi-Wan both took out their lines and threw them around a strut. Sighting the elevator doors, they summoned them opened and all three of them swung into the passage, crashing onto the floor.

Palpatine looked flushed, and even more disheveled. As they stood up, Palpatine took a few moments to adjust and dust off his elegant robes.

"I take it you two have done this kind of thing before?"

"Pretty much" said both Anakin and Obi-Wan at the same time.

Obi-Wan looked down the hallway and noticed it was the same one he and Anakin came through earlier, so they weren't too far away from the hangar.

"Let's see if there's something in the hangar that's still flyable."

On the bridge General Grievous was pacing back and forth uncontrollably. The Jedi had gotten the Chancellor, and Count Dooku was nowhere to be found. The captain suddenly approached him.

"General, we've found the Jedi. They're in hallway 33427."

Perhaps Grievous had finally gotten the break he had hoped for.

"Activate the ray shields!"

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Palpatine were sprinting down the hallway until a ray shield appeared in front of them, coming inches from making contact with it.

"Ray shields?"

"Wait a minute, we're smarter than this."

"Apparently not, but maybe we should just be patient."

"Be patient, I never thought I'd ever hear you say that."

"Well yes, R2 will be here in a moment and deactivate the shields, trust me."

One of the doors opened, and out came R2 going at full speed. In his panic, he crashed into the wall in front of him. Turning his dome, he spotted the trio behind the ray shield and proceeded to the console to deactivate it. Unfortunately a group of super battle droids and droidekas rushed out of the same door. One of the super battle droids aimed it's laser cannon directly at R2.

"Don't move!"

R2 simply zapped its hand, making it reel back.

"Ow!" the droid yelped.

In anger, the droid delivered a hard kick to R2, sending him to the floor with a loud thud. Anakin just stared dumbfounded while Obi-Wan just smirked.

"Do you have a plan B?"

_Authors Note: Sorry if this chapter is a bit too short, but I'll make up for it in other chapters, or least I'll try._


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Back to Coruscant

The four were lead to the bridge with a group of armed battle droids behind them. Sticking close to Anakin's side, R2 let out a series of worried beeps. They saw the crew at the alien looking controls, and then General Grievous, flanked by his Magna-Guards, staring at them.

"Ah yes, the negotiator, General Kenobi, we've been waiting for you"

The droid who had taken Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsabers came forward. Walking towards Grievous, the droid pushed Obi-Wan aside.

Surprisingly having manners it said, "Excuse me."

The droid held out the lightsabers to Grievous who eyed them like a child at candy.

"That wasn't much of a rescue."

He snatched the lightsabers from the droid, and took a moment to look at them. By its body language, the droid was noticeably angered.

"Your welcome." With that it went off to continue its daily routine.

Grievous glared at the droid, considering smashing its head off for its sarcastic remark, but choosing to ignore it. He turned his attention to Skywalker, the supposed "hero with no fear".

"And Anakin Skywalker, I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little…older."

He coughed in Anakin's face, which made him turn away in disgust.

"General Grievous, you're shorter than I expected"

Grievous sneered, angered that this boy didn't take him seriously.

"Jedi scum!"

With an amused look on his face, Obi-Wan laughed quietly to himself.

"We have a job to do Anakin, try not to upset him."

R2 shifted upwards from his slanted position. Grievous lifted up the right side of his cape where there were several sheath pockets stitched to it. There were several lightsabers occupying them, each of them a sign of the ruthless and savage slaughter of the Jedi Grievous had killed to acquire them.

"Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection."

The two Jedi just looked at Grievous, contemplating their next move, while Palpatine looked clueless as to what was going on. Obi-Wan prepared himself for what was about to happen.

"Not this time, and this time you won't escape."

Anakin quickly turned to R2.

"R2 now!"

Every single device, weapon, and appendage stored within R2 sprang out in a startling fashion, which distracted Grievous and his guards. Obi-Wan called his lightsaber to him from Grievous' cape, and grabbed it with his right hand. He ignited the blade and cut through the binders, and then cut through Anakin's binders in an almost simultaneous move.

Grievous was started by their move, and motioned for his guards to attack.

"Crush them,"

Getting into action, Anakin called his lightsaber to him from Grievous' cape as well and ignited it. The Magna-Guards ignited their electro-staffs and approached Anakin and Obi-Wan, while two battle droids came up behind Palpatine.

"Make them suffer."

Obi-Wan approached the two Magna-Guards and tried cutting them down. They had faster reflexes than the average assassin droid and managed to easily block Obi-Wan's blade with their staffs. One of them moved away from Obi-Wan and leapt at Anakin. As the two struggled with the Magna-Guards, the two droids behind Palpatine began pulling him away towards the door.

The other droids and crew all began to panic, but Grievous quickly set them straight with his booming voice.

"Stay at your stations!" He began pushing droids back to their consoles as he retreated to a safer location on the bridge.

Anakin noticed that Palpatine was in trouble, but he had to keep concentrated on the Magna-Guard. Obi-Wan fought against the other one towards the end of the bridge where several of the droids ran off in panic. After a series of intense blows, he managed to decapitate the guard but as he walked off it began to attack again. Taken by surprise, he barely managed to block the electro-staff before it came down upon his shoulder.

Anakin kept moving back towards Palpatine, knowing the guard would follow. It swung its staff at his head but he ducked in time, and then sliced the Magna-Droid in half. He approached Palpatine and sliced both of the droids in half with a single swing, barely missing Palpatine whose mouth was agape with shock.

He cut the binders off Palpatine's wrists and led him back towards the bridge. Obi-Wan continued to fight off the other guard, but when it raised its staff for a mere second it had inadvertently opened itself for attack. Obi-Wan slashed it diagonally across its torso, and moments later it fell to the ground in pieces. Seeing that his precious guards had been cut down, Grievous began to panic. Kenobi and Skywalker definitely lived up to their reputation.

The crew began to panic again, and Grievous did his best to keep them focused.

"Don't bother with them, keep the ship in orbit!"

"Yes sir."

Obi-Wan and Anakin sliced through the droids as Grievous walked towards the remains of one of the Magna-Guards, walking past R2 who reeled back in fear. He jumped up from the forward facing controls, and down onto the floor in front of the windshield. He forced the electro-staff out of the guards severed fist. Anakin and Obi-Wan approached Grievous from each side, slowly stepping closer towards him.

Grievous knew he was trapped and it angered him that he had been humiliated by these two. Assessing the options, he did first thing that came to his mind.

"You lose General Kenobi!"

Grievous threw the staff directly into the windshield, shattering one of its panes. Grievous went flying out into space while Anakin, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, and the rest of the crew held onto the consoles for dear life. Outside, Grievous shot out his grappling hook onto the hull of the ship and swung onto it. Once his powerful magnetized talons dug into the hull, he began to climb up towards the escape pods.

On the bridge the emergency shutters closed off the broken part of the windshield. The cowardly neimoidan crew fled from the bridge, running to the escape pods. Anakin and Obi-Wan diced the fleeing droids before they could escape, and Palpatine stood by. Unbeknownst to any of them, someone was watching them through one of the cameras.

Meanwhile, Grievous found his way through a hatch and into the corridor that held the escape pods. Luckily he saw that all but one of the escape pods where still there. He entered one and activated the controls, but before he took off he stopped himself.

He looked over to the launching console and hit all the switches sending every escape pod blasting off. He knew he had just damned his crew, but at least those Jedi fools would die with them. Hopefully Lord Sidious would forgive him for letting the Chancellor die, given the circumstances.

On board another escape pod, the one Grievous found missing, Count Dooku sat staring at the handheld monitor he had brought with him. He had tended to his wrist which was now bandaged, as were the other wounds he acquired when the ship fell out of orbit. He had placed the monitor on the console and switched to the camera on the bridge. He watched with amusement as the events on the flagship unfolded.

He wasn't surprised to see Grievous flee; after all he himself had told him if he were to succeed in combat he needed fear, surprise, and intimidation on his side. He could get none of those from Skywalker and Kenobi, which was no surprise at all. It angered him to see how his old master feigned such pathetic frailty.

How he wished he could smite Sidious and Skywalker right now. He felt nothing but hate for all them, except Obi-Wan to a lesser extent. While he was just another Jedi fool, it hadn't been his fault he ended up that way. The one who deserved sole credit for that was Yoda. He started to remember back to when they first found Obi-Wan over three decades ago.

After they had brought him in, Yoda ordered for an immediate background search on Obi-Wan and to see if he had any relatives in the area. When his file was found, it had almost everything they were searching for. His parents were listed as Myowa and Devlen Kenobi. He remembered that when he took a good look at their pictures, he couldn't trace any familiarities with Obi-Wan.

It was known that there were several inconsistencies with the public records that were often overlooked by the system, so perhaps this was one of them but no one could be sure. Everything else like blood type, eye color, and gene patterns matched so as far as anyone cared for, they were his parents.

He remembered reading the file himself, trying to find out all he could about Obi-Wan. The parents were young for the mother was only twenty three, and the father was thirty five. He found many reports of domestic disturbances in their file, and also that Devlen had been arrested five times. Looking into Devlen's own file, he found that he had severe mental disorders as well, which would explain his violent actions.

It was clear that the father was the negative factor in the family, and it must have been terrible for Obi-Wan to deal with a father like that. The mother however had a clean record, and for the most part appeared normal. It appeared that it was another case of foolish young love, but it was odd that only the father was reported to be force sensitive.

It was common for one person in a couple to be force-sensitive while the other was normal yet still conceive a force sensitive child. However with all the power Obi-Wan had, it didn't make sense since the father was listed as only a mediocre force sensitive. Since Obi-Wan had to have gotten it somewhere and for some reason, Dooku believed that perhaps maybe Obi-Wan could be the chosen one. As a result he was vehemently opposed at Yoda's proposition to somehow suppress Obi-Wan's powers. He'd said it was for his own protection. In any case he doubted it could be done, at least not permanently.

He remembered when he brought it up with Yoda, however, who of course strongly disagreed with his opinions. He remembered every word spoken during that meeting like it was yesterday.

"_How could you be so blind, it's the only explanation?"_

"_I know that the prophecy young Kenobi is not. Inconsistent with the prophecy his background is, and more there is to Obi-Wan than that."_

"_I can't believe you're going to let a foolish prophecy blind you to the truth?"_

"_While never for sure can we be with situations like this, follow the pattern Obi-Wan does not. Through different means was this boy conceived. Despite his abilities, an average midi-chlorian count he has and impossible it is for that to account for his powers."_

"_What does it matter?"_

"_Within his mind does this boy's power lie, not within the Force as it should be if normal he was. A rare fluke is this child, for unheard of is a being such as this. A kind of mutation, for lack of a better word, perhaps this is."_

"_Maybe this is a sign; maybe this is what we've been waiting for. I'm convinced we found him for a good reason, so I ask you again to rethink this."_

"_Understand you don't that poses a great threat he does if not handled carefully he is. Not a good choice is it to be putting ideas in his head. Wise it would be to suppress his excess power since so fragile is he, and never gets out of control like he did in the apartment would he."_

_Naturally he disagreed because he felt that given time and training, they could teach him to control his powers. Of course Yoda, always set on his foolish ways, didn't listen._

"_Understand the danger you do not. In the unconscious part of his mind does his power lie, making it impossible for him to control it himself. Realize you have to that his powers live on their own accord. If nothing done there is to control him, then control him will his powers. See what he could do you did, imagine what could happen if out of control he got."_

"_Well let us hope your right about this then. I hope you know what you're doing, I really do."_

_**Authors Note: Hope you like the backstory**_


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Obi-Wan's Tale

Keeping his eye on the screen, Dooku watched closely to see what the three of them would do next now that all the escape pods had gone. Since the ship was beginning to break up, they didn't have much time but that was of little concern to him. Turning away from the screen, he came to the controls and set the coordinates for where he was planning to go. He sat back in the seat and pondered what his next move would be.

"All the escape pods have been launched," said Anakin.

Obi-Wan instantly knew who was responsible.

"It had to be Grievous. It looks like we have to pilot this thing. Anakin, can you fly a cruiser like this?" asked Obi-Wan

"You mean do I know how to land what's left of this thing?"

"Well?"

"Under the circumstances I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant. Strap your selves in."

Anakin sat in the pilots' seat, while Obi-Wan and Palpatine sat in the seats close by. R2 plugged himself into one of the controls and assisted in flying the ship. As the ship started plummeting towards Coruscant, it began to pick up momentum.

"The pressure is starting to rise; we've got to slow this thing down. Open all hatches, extend all flaps, and drag fins."

All of sudden the cruiser began splitting apart. The forward end of the cruiser began to dip down as it tore away from the aft section. Anakin was the first to realize what had happened, and quickly addressed the others who were noticeably concerned.

"We lost something."

"Not to worry, we're still flying half a ship" Obi-Wan said reassuringly.

The front half of the cruiser began rushing towards Coruscant with incredible speed, causing most of the steel plates to tear away from its hull.

"Now we're really picking up speed. I'm going to shift a few degrees and see if I can slow us down."

The temperature was rising faster and faster. "Careful, we're heating up."

"What's our speed?"

"Eight plus sixty-forty…eight plus sixty-twenty…eight plus sixty," said Obi-Wan as he read the monitors. "The temperature is at ten thousand, nine thousand. We're in the atmosphere now."

As the ship entered Coruscant's atmosphere, what remained of the hull began to glow red with heat until the whole thing bursted into flames. Anakin struggled with the controls to keep the ship level.

"Steady, steady."

R2 began to beep madly, earning him an annoyed look from Palpatine.

"Easy, Artoo! Hang on guys; this may get a little rough. We've just lost our heat shields."

Obi-Wan continued to read the speed and temperature. "Five thousand…three thousand…two thousand. We got fire-ships on the left and the right."

From the window they could see the fire-ships getting into position. One of the fire men's voices came through the intercom.

"We'll take you in" said the fire man.

"Copy that. Landing strip's straight ahead."

"We're coming in too hot."

"Easy, easy!"

As the city came into view, Anakin struggled to steer the ship towards the landing strip. The fire ships began hosing the exterior of the ship, successfully extinguishing most flames with foam when it came upon the landing strip. The smoking ship skated across the strip, knocking down one of the observation towers, while everyone held on to their seats. Finally the ship came to a screeching halt, putting everyone at ease. Obi-Wan wiped the sweat off his forehead and gave a sigh of relief.

He turned to the others. "Another happy landing, wouldn't you say?"

Palpatine and Anakin stared at him in amusement.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

The old Jedi didn't know what to make of the current situation. Jedi Master Yoda waited quietly in the council chambers where he sat in his hover seat. Not too long ago he had felt Obi-Wan's dormant powers surface, a feeling all too familiar to him. Even though they emerged very briefly, he was able to detect it through the force bond he had with Obi-Wan. Neither he nor Obi-Wan used their bond to draw strength from one another, since he feared what might happen. Instead he used it to keep connected to Obi-Wan's mind so that he could keep track of him and make sure he was safe.

Lately he had used it to great effect due to Obi-Wan's sudden surges in power. Until recently, this had all been relatively quiet. When the Clone Wars started, Obi-Wan had been just fine and was as focused and in control as he'd always been during the past few decades. Throughout the course of the war, however, Obi-Wan was often put under a great amount of stress, more so than he had been in years. Perhaps it explained his current condition, at least partly. However, at the same time, he saw that the Clone Wars also helped Obi-Wan in a way.

It kept him focused and concentrated on his duties as a Jedi, proving his devotion as always. For that he was truly proud, but truth be told, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He had always wanted Obi-Wan to be able to grow into his powers and had hoped to achieve his by helping him to control them like he told him he would. However, things are never that easy as he later found out. Then of course there was Yanis, who knew everything about Obi-Wan. When he turned to the dark side, he suspected that Yanis would try to somehow exploit Obi-Wan.

For the most part, however, it seemed that Yanis respected his wish to keep it hidden at all costs. During their encounter on Vjun, Yanis explained that his reason for doing so was mainly for Obi-Wan's sake, and that the ramifications of exposing what he knew would be too great for either side to handle. He sensed that the man was being less than honest and had some other motive for keeping quiet. He also suspected that Yanis had tried to undo what had been done to bind Obi-Wan's powers during the times that he was held captive by the Count, such as on Geonosis and Jabiim.

Yoda remembered how, in the beginning, Obi-Wan struggled with his abilities. Being that he had never encountered something like this before, he was clueless as how to handle it. There had been a some incidents here and there, but it was tolerable for the most part. Then, particularly nasty and most unfortunate event occurred which determined his next course of action. Not wanting to put him or anyone else in danger, he made the decision to bind Obi-Wan's powers. Everyone on the council at the time, except Dooku, agreed, and through a combined effort they accomplished the task.

As the years went by, Yoda had hoped to understand the nature of Obi-Wan's powers better so that he could slowly but surely return them to him. He was prepared to do so little by little after Obi-Wan had achieved knighthood. Had it not been for the death of Qui-Gon and the sudden return of the Sith, he would've done exactly that. Qui-Gon's death nearly sent him over the edge, in more ways than most people realized. He did not want to risk Obi-Wan accessing his powers during such a dark period in his life which he feared would've been a catastrophe. In addition, the return of the Sith made him realize that Obi-Wan would be their target if he were ever to be figured out.

He regrettably abandoned his decision to slowly return Obi-Wan's powers to him, because by then he was doing a number of things, such as training young Anakin Skywalker, and in an efficient and highly capable capacity. Obi-Wan seemed quite comfortable the way he was, so rather than risk ruining that by putting him on an uncertain path by reintroducing his powers to him, the old Jedi let him be. However, as recent events showed, something was happening. Still exhausted from the recent battle, he made his way to the hangar in preparation for Obi-Wan's arrival for he sensed that he, along with Anakin and Chancellor Palpatine, had made it back to Coruscant.

As he made his way through the hall towards the hangar, Yoda remembered that when Obi-Wan first started off here in the temple. He had done everything he could to help young Obi-Wan take control of his life. Obi-Wan had soon grown fond of living in the temple after being taken in by its ambiance. At first he was relocated to a small but comfortable room that he and Yanis had picked out for him, but it soon became a home to him.

While he expected Obi-Wan to be uncomfortable with being in unfamiliar territory and being around complete strangers, he was proven wrong. He came to find that Obi-Wan was just as exuberant, playful, and kind as any of the other children in the temple, sometimes even more so. Perhaps this was the kind of life Obi-Wan had been searching for.

While it was never his original intent to train Obi-Wan to be a Jedi, the young one was very enthusiastic on learning the ways of the force. Once, Dooku had given him many documents and texts that told the much of the Jedi's history, some even going back to the old Sith Wars. Obi-Wan took to it immediately and finished reading all of it in five days.

It didn't take long until Obi-Wan read up on almost everything else like the different forms of lightsaber combat, and force powers. This only caused Obi-Wan to become even more fascinated by the Jedi, and he would frequently ask him and Dooku what it was like to be one. With all the innocence and exuberance that generated from Obi-Wan, it seemed like the perfect choice.

One day he and Dooku had taken him to see the Room of a Thousand Fountains so they could meditate together, and it soon became a usual habit. Obi-Wan had basked in its beauty and serenity, making it his most favorite part of the temple. It was there that he had introduced him to the Bear Clan, and was warmly received by all of them.

The other Jedi, padawans and masters alike, were curious to know more about this friendly stranger and came forward to introduce themselves as well. Even Qui-Gon, who was still Dooku's pupil then, came to see little Obi-Wan and had taken an instant liking to him. While he was happy to see Obi-Wan get attention, he noticed that Dooku was troubled by it which was cause for concern.

Dooku felt that Obi-Wan was beyond anything anyone would ever hope to find in a force sensitive being, and felt that it was necessary to take it to the next step rather than beat around the bush as he accused him of doing on several occasions. He felt both shocked and disappointed by Dooku's behavior for he should've fully understood the gravity of the situation and why he was handling it the way he was.

It was for certain that Obi-Wan and his powers did not coincide with each other at all, but one day he'd finally discovered the reason why. He'd examined Obi-Wan's CT scans while visiting him in the healing ward while he underwent a series of tests, and it showed that his limbic system was pulsing with electromagnetic energy. This was no doubt a physical manifestation of his powers no less, and it was all dangerously rooted at the source of his memories and emotions.

Never once in over his eight centuries of existence had he ever encountered a situation like this, and had he been able to fully understand it, many conflicts could've been avoided. He kept thinking if he knew then what he knew now, perhaps things might have been different, and the thought kept tormenting him. He remembered the first time Obi-Wan and his powers got out of hand, and how unprepared he was for it. This became the particularly nasty and most unfortunate event that had caused him to bind Obi-Wan's powers.

It all started one day when little Obi-Wan wondered off to the Room of a Thousand Fountains by himself, making him easy prey to those looking to cause harm. He remembered it was Xanatos, a strong force sensitive child discovered by Qui-Gon years ago that he wasn't very fond of for all the trouble he caused, and his friends who were responsible for what happened that day. They had set their eyes on Obi-Wan and sought him out. Unaware of what they were dealing with, they would soon come to regret that decision…deeply.

Obi-Wan had taken some things to read at sat by one of the pools, and he couldn't have been any more peaceful. That was until Xanatos and his band of ignorant youths showed up. He had been speaking to Jedi Master Adi Gallia about Siri Tachi, whom she was looking to make her apprentice, in the meditation room when it happened. From what he remembered, Xanatos and the others had surrounded Obi-Wan in order to keep him from going anywhere.

Sensing Obi-Wan's panic through the force he'd quickly leapt from his seat, taking Master Gallia by surprise, and sped towards The Room of a Thousand Fountains. He got there in time to see Obi-Wan being thrown into the water by Xanatos. For a moment he was literally frozen with a dread combination of fear and panic. When Xanatos and the others finally noticed his presence, they knew trouble was coming.

Keeping focused on Obi-Wan, he saw that he was struggling to stay afloat and began crying out for help. Without hesitation he dived into the water and began to swim towards him as he continued to splash about in panic, tiring himself in the process. The water began trembling as Obi-Wan came closer and closer to drowning, and suddenly he reached the point where he could no longer stay afloat and went underneath the water.

Seeing this, he quickly dove under where he could see Obi-Wan, unconscious and sinking. As he swam closer towards him he felt the water begin to churn around them, but that didn't stop him. When he finally came upon him, he grabbed his shoulders to pull him up to the surface when suddenly his eyes snapped open revealing fiery orbs of fury. Taken completely by surprise he had no time to react when he was suddenly struck by a force that catapulted him out of the water and sent him spiraling across the floor.

Suddenly all the water falls, steams, ponds, and fountains began to flow upwards, and the plants began rising up with such a force that were torn from their roots. The pillars in the room began to tremble, and before Xanatos and his gang had a chance to flee, they were suddenly held in place by an unseen force. Moments later Obi-Wan bursted out the water, and began to levitate several feet into the air.

He started coming towards them, and set his crazed eyes upon Xanatos who struggled to break free from his hold. Obi-Wan set himself down on the ground and began walking towards Xanatos, dematerializing the ground beneath him as he walked along. As Obi-Wan came closer to Xanatos' skin was beginning to ripple. The old Jedi quickly got on his feet and sped towards them before it was too late.

Obi-Wan, sensing his approach, turned away from Xanatos to face him. Calling upon the force for protection, Yoda prepared himself for whatever attack Obi-Wan might throw at him. Luckily for him, he was the quicker of the two, this time, and acted without a moment's hesitation. He quickly hit him with a force stun and a form of malacia that left Obi-Wan significantly fazed. Soon all the things that were floating up in the air came falling down, and Obi-Wan fell unconscious once more.

He quickly did the same to Xanatos and his friends who, having just been released from their hold, were just about to run off. A moment later Master Gallia, and several others, came rushing in. It was very fortunate that they were not around to witness what had happened. He held his hand to his heart, finding that it was still beating fast, and contemplated on what he'd do now.

In the end he decided to make it as though nothing ever happened. He had performed a series of memory rubs on Xanatos and the others who were there, successfully getting them to forget what happened. He was able to do the same to Obi-Wan, but he knew more had to done with him. He regretted what ended up having to do in the end, but it was all for the best, or so he had hoped. On the positive side, it enabled Obi-Wan to be properly brought up and trained as a Jedi. For this he was eternally thankful for he could not imagine how things would be like not having a Jedi, and friend, as great as the one Obi-Wan had become.

_**Author's Note: Sorry if the beginning is a bit too much like the movie, it's just a way of taking off w/the story, shouldn't last much longer. Thank you all for the reviews so far.**_


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Homecoming

Dozens of senators gathered outside the senate building as the shuttle set down on the landing platform. Having come to see the safe return of their beloved Supreme Chancellor, the senators were overjoyed to see Palpatine, otherwise unharmed, step off the shuttle. Obi-Wan watched as Palpatine approached his entourage of senators, each of them clearly relieved to see him alive and well after today's ordeal. He was as equally relieved now that it was all behind them for now. He'd hoped that today's events would lead to the end of the war, but he couldn't help but think otherwise.

As Anakin stepped off the shuttle with R2, he noticed that Obi-Wan did not follow. He made no move to get off, making it obvious that he wasn't going to. Even though he knew Obi-Wan would come up with some excuse as to why he wasn't coming, he had to ask anyway.

"Are you coming, master?"

Coming out of his thoughts, he turned his head towards Anakin.

"Oh no, I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the council, and besides someone needs to be the poster boy."

"First off, I'd prefer poster man, and second, shouldn't I be there also?"

"No, it's nothing formal or anything. Now go meet your public, poster man."

Having been in the spotlight already, he thought it was only fair that his master, the great "negotiator", got his share of fame. He'd at least try to talk him in to coming.

"Hold on, this whole operation was your idea. You were the one who planned it and led the rescue operation. You have to be the one to take the bows this time."

"Let us not forget that you rescued me from the buzz droids, you killed Count Dooku, and you rescued the chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back, not to mention that landing of yours."

"All because of your training, master."

Obi-Wan inwardly chuckled. 'Yeah, now he thanks me.'

"That's just an excuse. Anakin, let's be fair. Today, you are the hero and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians.

"Well, so do you. Think about it, today you get to stand above the politicians and listen to them give speeches about your greatness."

"As tempting as that is, I'm afraid it'll have to be for some other day."

"All right, but you owe me . . . and not for saving your skin for the tenth time."

"Ninth time . . . that business on Cato Nemoidia doesn't count. I'll see you at the briefing."

Obi-Wan sat on one of the seats, trying to make himself comfortable while the shuttle made its way towards the Jedi Temple. He was feeling somewhat drowsy and thought to spend the time it would take the shuttle to reach the temple, as short as it may be, to rest. However he soon thought against it for he was in no mood for anymore unpleasant dreams. He had quite a lot of those already. He stood up and walked toward one of the windows to see the city, the home, he hadn't seen for months.

Though war torn, it was a far more pleasing sight then what he'd been seeing for days on end. Now, though most likely only very briefly, he was away from it all. Unfortunately, nothing could keep away the dreams. They'd started soon after the war did, but back then they had been distorted and made no sense to him. He was able to easily purge them from his thoughts, as he'd been trained to do, but it was only until lately that they were worsening. They were also becoming more frequent, and more unusual.

Of course he'd wondered if whether or not they were visions, like the ones Anakin had before his mother passed, but none of it was ever realized. In any case he would just pass them off for he refused to let such things cloud his judgment, unlike Anakin. Having been though this sort of thing before, he'd learned, or thought he had learned, to deal with them, due greatly to Master Yoda.

While he wasn't able to remember much of his childhood, he was, however, able to recall having similar dreams before in his youth. At first they were as though he was seeing through someone else's eyes, for he was bombarded by images of living somewhere where he was always around people he was somehow familiar with, but couldn't remember. There was a woman, always loving and caring, a man, always abusive and cruel towards him, and an infant whom he would look after.

He was never able to fully understand them, and still couldn't. Then as time passed, the dreams changed. In them, he found himself somewhere in the black void of space, going straight into what looked like a fiery nebula. All around him were stars and fire intertwined into a bizarre but beautiful plane of existence where he roamed about, never really knowing where he was going or what he was doing.

He felt as though he were a part of the fire around him. He felt alive. On another occasion he dreamt he was in a place that appeared to be Coruscant, but frozen. Everything from ships, shuttles, speeders, and people were somehow frozen in place. He was able to see all this as he somehow sped throughout the city like some crazed speeder. As he went along, everything around him would disintegrate as though it had been hit by a powerful atomic blast. His venture would continue until, as if he somehow knew where he was going all along, he would find himself in front a residential building in one of the residential sectors deep in city. It looked like the other buildings, but he felt it was somehow different.

He would suddenly crash into one of the windows several stories up, and would find himself in darkness. He tried to go further but strained to do so until his movement ceased all together. He would suddenly undergo a change in state, one which he could not explain. He began to feel anger and rage that developed into an intense fury that came from nowhere. It was like a disease that took over his body, taking over his mind and functions. For some reason, it somehow felt familiar to him.

It was as if he was something had invaded his body, and he had no control over it. After that he would usually wake up to find the things in his room scattered all over the place, undoubtedly due to the effects of his dreams on his telekinesis. He did his best to deal with his issues, but he didn't know what to do. However, Yoda somehow knew he was troubled and came to his side. He remembered the several occasions where the two of would meet in the meditation room for their sessions.

He would tell him about his dreams and he in turn helped him analyze them so he could understand where they came from. It would help him to take control them, and even help him cast them out of his mind all together. The dreams would start again every once in a while, but they always seemed to vanish when he applied the lessons he'd learned from Yoda. After awhile he had no trouble in keeping them in complete control himself, and they no longer were a nuisance, at least until recently. What worried him now was that he was inexplicably losing that control. He then promised himself to meet with Yoda sometime later in the day.

He decided to lie back for awhile, but not sleep. As he laid his head on the head-rest, it pressed up against the large bruise on the back of his head which caused him to recoil in pain. In all the confusion he had forgotten about his injury, courtesy of the now late Count Dooku. He gently put his hand on the back of his head where he felt a very large and slightly bloody bump. He hadn't received a bruise this bad in while, but he'd been through, and seen, a lot worse so he wasn't too worried. Relaxing, he used what bit of force healing he was capable of to help alleviate the pain.

Now that his tranquility was lost, he stood up and walked up to one of the windows. He looked out and saw that the shuttle had finally reached the temple precinct and was nearing the hangar. Looking down, he was surprised to see Master Yoda waiting on the landing platform, sitting calmly in his hover chair. He waited by the hatchway as the ship landed and the small ramp set down, and then casually stepped off. Yoda smiled kindly as he approached. Obi-Wan smiled back.

"Glad am I to see you again, in person, Master Kenobi."

"As am I, Master Yoda."

"For a long time have the outer rim sieges kept you and Anakin away. Sure I am that happy to be back finally you are, yes?"

"Of course, this place has always been my home."

"Glad to hear that I am"

The two began walking toward the hangar where several people were going about their business. Obi-Wan noticed several repair droids and mechanics at work on many badly damaged fighters and ships which were obviously damaged in today's attack.

"Greatly concerned about you and young Skywalker I was. Most unprecedented was this attack, and lost many we did. Thankful am I that among the lost you and Anakin were not, and that successful in saving the chancellor you were. "

"Thank you Master Yoda, but I think the worse is behind us now…at least for now."

"Over it is not I'm afraid. Re-organize the separatists will and plot their next move, as such is the way of the enemy, further prolonging this conflict."

"Perhaps Dooku's death will turn the tide to our favor."

At this, Yoda and his seat became still. He turned to face Obi-Wan looking slightly surprised and to a lesser degree…saddened.

"So true it is that Dooku is dead?"

Deep inside he had hoped otherwise, but his conscious and rational side knew it was for the best. However, he still needed to know what happened to him. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

"What happened?" His ears rose attentively.

Obi-Wan didn't want to give too much away, but then again he wasn't really there to witness it.

"Well, Anakin and I fought him on the flagship. I was thrown against the wall and was knocked unconscious, but Anakin continued on and managed to defeat him."

The worry wasn't unfounded. He had no doubt that young Anakin Skywalker had unleashed all his rage and fury upon Dooku, and he feared it was yet another step towards his undoing.

"Odd, felt Dooku's passing I did not. Been able to I'm sure I would have."

"Perhaps, but with all the deaths there've been today who can keep track. Besides, you two weren't exactly close, at least not as close as you two used to be. Nonetheless, his death will greatly impact what's to come."

"Perhaps right you are."

Yoda inwardly grieved, but only for a few moments. In his mind he voiced his sorrow.

_'Yanis you poor fool, all you cared for was your pursuit of power and because of it countless lives have been lost, but now you've lost yours as well. A pity how our bond, once so strong, is now nothing but a lost and distant memory made so by years of conflict. May you find salvation wherever you may be, my old friend.'_

"However, most fortunate this turn of events is. Right now, deliberate the council must on where from here do we go. But before anything, perhaps have a healer tend to your wound first you should. Causing you much pain I can sense it is."

Obi-Wan had thought he was hiding his pain as best he could, but Yoda detected it nonetheless which made him think that hiding anything from him at all was futile.

"Indeed it is."

_Authors Note: I know it has been a LONG time since I've updated. Its too long to explain, but nonetheless I hope you enjoyed the new chapter._


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Things to Come

The sun had finally set, marking the end of that fateful and chaotic day, and darkness once again crept back into the city. Coruscant at night was always an endless sea of light and activity. Tonight though, that light was reduced to scarce patches scattered across fields of darkness. It was a pleasing sight to the man looking out from the long window in the supreme chancellor's office, for it showed that victory was almost within his grasp.

Nearby at the Jedi Temple there were two people sitting calmly in the meditation chamber they often met in. One was Master Yoda, and the other Mace Windu, both seated and cross-legged on a pod chair. They were in the middle of a discussion; one which they made sure wasn't being listened to or monitored. It was necessary, for the topic of their conversation was very sensitive. They'd been talking for a few hours already. At first their conversation began with trying to assess the outcome of the war.

Of course it was already discussed in today's meeting, but it was often that the two masters would further discuss things spoken about in meetings, albeit more in depth and in private. This was because they felt it was best not to divulge too much of their personal opinions to the council, or at least any more than what was necessary. The other masters followed suit hoping this would avoid the risk of increasing the ever mounting dissension, and enable the council to function more tactfully in these hard and dark times.

After awhile, the conversation between the two masters began to drift to what both them really wanted to talk about; the hunt for Sidious, interrupted by today's sudden attack, and of what had happened with Obi-Wan. By now their conversation was reaching its end.

"You're positive that Skywalker and the Chancellor did not notice anything?"

"It appears that they did not" said Yoda.

This topic of discussion was nothing new to Master Windu. Around the time that Mace had become a member of the council, Yoda had let him in on some of the many dark secrets of the Jedi Order, since he was the only other person, besides Dooku, that he ever fully trusted. Among those secrets was the truth about Obi-Wan. He, unlike Dooku, was able to see the inherent danger Obi-Wan posed and worked together with Yoda to keep him safe, although it was rarely necessary.

"That is a small comfort, but I still don't understand why it happened" said Mace, hoping Yoda had a possible answer.

"Been troubled lately he has, as have we all."

"Well with a wayward companion like Skywalker on top of everything that's happening, it's no surprise."

"No, I'm afraid wrong you might be," said Yoda, taking Mace slightly by surprise. "More important to Obi-Wan than you know is young Skywalker. Wayward he may be, but helped Obi-Wan stay grounded and focused throughout the years he has. See it at first I did not, but now realize it more clearly I do."

Mace began to take in and consider what Yoda was saying, and he realized that, in a way, it made sense.

"Know you and I how devoted and faithful Obi-Wan is to the Jedi Order. Never once doubted him have I, for not in his nature is it to be anything else but the person he's always been. Helped remind Obi-Wan of that, and of his duties and responsibilities Anakin has, much like Qui-Gon did."

As much as he feared that Anakin would bring about Obi-Wan's downfall, as well as his own, he knew Yoda was right.

"Nonetheless, there have been instances where his interactions with others have created problems. His relationship with Knight Tachi comes to mind. He also hasn't exactly been the same since that incident on Jablim either."

"We know that close were Obi-Wan and Knight Tachi, and know we do that once intimate they were. A moment of weakness from the both of them it was, and although we came close to intervening, know you do that both of us trusted Obi-Wan to do the right thing, and in the end, rectified the situation by himself he did."

"Close again they have they gotten when fatally crippled and nearly killed she was at the hands of Magus. However, trust Obi-Wan not to fall again to temptation I do, and considering that he has proven himself time and time again, hope I do that you trust him as well."

"It's just seems that it is too much to leave to chance."

"I understand, but trust him to rely on his better judgment I do. Allow him to become a Jedi Knight, much less a master and member of the council; I would not have if trust him fully I did not. But agree with you about Jablim I do. Done something to Obi-Wan Ventress or Dooku might have, or perhaps the circumstances of his situation it was. I also suspect that did something on Geonosis Dooku did. The catalyst to Obi-Wan's current problems that could have been."

"I agree. That sounds very in line with Dooku to me. Always making a bad thing worse" Mace said irritably.

"But nothing to worry about there is, at least for now. Just keep on doing what we've been doing we should, and stay on the alarm should anything happen."

"I agree. There is one other thing though. Do you think it would be best to keep Obi-Wan here for now, to keep him away from the battlefront?"

He pondered this for a moment. "I feel that better it would be, when the time comes, to leave that up to him. However, for now, remain here he will."

Yoda suddenly felt Obi-Wan's presence, and it was getting closer. He'd almost forgotten that he'd told him to meet him earlier. He knew that it would be best that if it were just the two of them alone, so he kindly told Mace to depart. After he left, Yoda was left alone for a few moments to ponder. He sat patiently, and waited for his guest. In a few moments the doors slid open, and Obi-Wan slowly walked in. They stared at each other for a few moments, assessing each other's condition based on their appearances.

Outwardly they appeared like their normal selves, but these two knew how look past their surfaces. Yoda was easily able to sense the restlessness and anxiousness within Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan was able to sense the same, although to a much lesser extent, from Yoda. Having run into Master Windu outside, it didn't take much imagination to know that the two had been in here having their usual chats. He couldn't help but wonder what the two of them were taking about.

He'd already been told a mouthful earlier, first with Mace's distrust of Anakin's and Palpatine's friendship, then of his tracking of Darth Sidious to the sub-basement of Five Hundred Republica and of his suspicions on the identity of the Sith Lord. What got to him though was his saying that he should keep Anakin from knowing the council's true intentions for him, and that they might have to move against Palpatine sometime soon. He had no intention of leaving Anakin completely in the dark of course.

Thinking about all the lying and deception occurring all around him, even within the walls of the temple, made him think of a kind of darkness that threatened to consume them all. It made him uneasy to see how much things had changed here. Despite this, he was, as always, pleased to see that Yoda, no matter what, was still the beacon of light he'd always known, and was still the same person he could rely on.

He had seen many unsettling changes in the other masters, and that did well to unsettle him further. He knew that road to recovery wouldn't begin until the war was over, and that seemed to be beyond anyone's reach these days. One comforting thought he had was that Sidious would no longer be able to elude them for much longer, especially when Grievous was dealt with for it would prompt him, or her, to make a move. When that happened they would be more than ready, or so he hoped. He prayed that his optimism wasn't misplaced.

Right now though, he'd come to talk and that's what he was going to do. He walked toward the pod chair in front of Yoda and sat down in it.

"Thank you for seeing me master, especially given the circumstances" said Obi-Wan as he made himself comfortable in the chair.

"Never a problem it is, Obi-Wan. In fact, been looking forward to seeing you I have. Doing better your head is?"

"Yes, much better. The healer did as good of a job as T'ra Saa would."

"Good to hear that is."

There was a long pause before Yoda spoke again.

"I feel that more there is distressing you than your wound. What's wrong, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan slightly tilted his head down and sighed.

"It's just that I'm feeling...strange lately, and my dreams are becoming more and more unusual."

Yoda grew alert at this.

"I know we talked about this before, but it's different this time."

"Really, how so?"

There was a short pause until Obi-Wan went ahead and spoke.

"Well, lately it's becoming difficult to focus. Sometimes I have trouble concentrating when it comes to using the force, yet at other times it happens unexpectedly."

"How so?"

"Sometimes I find myself hearing other people's thoughts when I am not trying to, and sometimes it's hard to block them out," Obi-Wan said, remembering the countless headaches that, and other things, caused him. "There's other instances where I hear familiar voices, buts it's hard to make them out. I try my best to quiet my mind, but sometimes it's not enough."

"Severely out of balance you are Obi-Wan. Alarmed I am to hear that occurring to you again this is, especially since grown have your abilities to counter such problems since then. Losing control of your connection to the force during these troubled times you are, and lying I would be if nothing I said it was. However, glad I am to see that handling it quite well by yourself, so far, you are. Proud I am that let it affect your duties you have not. Also quite well is your ability to hide it from others, even with Anakin who in constant contact you are with" Yoda said with a small chuckle that Obi-wan returned with a smile. "Obi-Wan, been down this path before we have so try not to worry, and be hopeful, as I am, that come to pass this will again."

"Now, about these dreams tell me" continued Yoda.

"I don't know what it is but they are becoming harder and harder for me to ignore."

"Overcome this in the past you have. What's changed?"

"The dreams themselves, it's like they've started becoming more real. It's as if I'm seeing the aftermath of some great devastation, and it only gets worse."

Obi-Wan paused, considering stopping this altogether.

"Please, more tell me" said Yoda, sensing Obi-Wan's hesitation.

"Well to put it as lightly as I can, it's as if I am seeing visions, like Anakin once did. In the dreams, everything and everyone that is important to me meets some terrible fate. I see many of the systems we fought to protect falling into the hands of the enemy yet again. I see innocents we fought to protect suffering. I see the Jedi being slaughtered by unseen enemies, and I see the temple in ruins and the bodies of masters, knights and younglings scattered everywhere. All of this tells me is that we have lost, and the dark side is triumphant. Going through the emotions of it made it seem all too real. Like I said, that's just putting it lightly. It doesn't end there though."

"What happens?"

"I see myself surrounded by nothing by lava and fire, like some kind of hellish purgatory. I keep seeing those closest to me trying to reach out to me and I try to reach towards them, but before I can, the fire consumes them and they're gone."

He couldn't help but feel emotional, and even though he knew Yoda could tell, he tried to act as if he were fine. He also didn't want to say who'd he'd seen specifically, who just happened to include Padme, Master Windu, and a few others. The ones he'd seen more prominently, however, were Siri, Yoda himself, and Anakin.

If Yoda had any solace earlier, it was surely gone now. He knew better than anyone that the odds were against them all, and he could find nothing that showed otherwise. Obi-Wan's description of the very possible future only made it worse, for he knew that they were heading in such a direction. However, he wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Know that very troubling is this for you, but trust that come to pass this will. Always uncertain the future is. Unreliable dreams and visions can be, and cause unnecessary panic they can. Affects us all the dark side does these days, and has caused us a great deal of sleepless nights it has for sure. Going through the same sort of thing all of us have been, albeit in our own different ways. But know that not alone in this you are, and know that support each other we must if to get through this we are."

"I understand, Master Yoda."

"Sorry that come back to this you had to. However with Dooku dead, end this all could the destruction of Grievous. Focus all our energies on that for the time being I think we should.

"I agree, but where do we begin?"

* * *

Anakin sprung upright in bed, panting heavily. His heart resounded in his chest, so much so that he thought it might burst. He turned and saw her by his side, asleep. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest which put him at ease. After catching himself for a few moments, he pushed back the sheets and turned away. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

He thought that he'd actually lost her, but he hadn't. She was still there, alive, along with their child. Despite this, he could not get over the horror of what he'd just seen. He'd just seen the love of his life die during the birth of their child on some alien world. Her screams for him still loudly resonated in his head. She cried for help and he hadn't been there.

He stood up and walked towards the veranda. Once he was there he sat down on one of the seats and looked out upon the city. Several areas of the city lay in ruins, and the abundance of nightlife that he was so used to seeing had significantly waned. He just sat there staring, and listing to the steady flow of the fountain. He suddenly felt her approach.

She came up beside him and laid one of her soft hands on his bare back, gently caressing it. She laid her other hand upon his mechanical one. He turned his face to meet hers, and saw her loving yet concerned gaze.

"What's bothering you?"

He was hesitant to say anything about the dream, especially to her.

"Nothing," he said, but Padme knew better. Hoping to focus on something else, he looked at the japor snippet and held it with his other hand.

"I remember when I gave this to you."

She took on a frustrated tone. "Anakin, how long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?"

She'd trusted him to say what was bothering him on his own, and was slightly disappointed that he didn't. He had no choice but to say something now. He turned away from her.

"It was a dream," he said finally.

"Bad?"

"It was like the ones I used to have about my mother, just before she died."

"And," she said as she grabbed his hand a little tighter.

"And…it was about you."

"Tell me," she said softly.

"It was only dream," he said, and with that he stood up and walked up to the rail.

"Ani, it's alright, you can tell me."

He turned to face her again.

"It was about you…dying. You die in childbirth."

"And the baby?"

"I don't know."

She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"It was only a dream."

"I won't let this one become real, Padme. I'm not going to let what happened to my mother happen to you."

"I don't think it'll happen."

"You don't?"

"Ani, we're on Coruscant, nothing like that could happen. Besides the medics have told me I'm in perfect health. Your dream must mean something else."

"What else could it mean?"

"I don't know, but you shouldn't take it too literally."

"That's just it, my dreams usually are literal."

"Ani, trust me. It'll be okay, I'll be okay," she said as she kissed his hand, and then put it over her swollen belly.

"Besides, we have more important things to worry about, like what we're going to do when the baby comes. I know when that time comes; it'll change our lives forever."

"I know, in fact I've thought about leaving the order."

"Ani, I don't mean like that. Being a Jedi is a part of who you are, it's always been your dream."

"It's not so much a dream anymore, and besides they'll kick me out the second they find out about me and you and the baby. That's just fine with me."

"Ani, you can't say things like that. The Jedi need you, now more than ever, just as the senate needs me. We have to continue doing what we're doing, for the Republic's sake, for our sake, for our child's sake. Think about our future" she said while placing her hand over his on her stomach.

She, as usual, was right on so many levels.

"Your right, I'm sorry" he said with a faint smile.

He also knew that he'd have to find some way to keep her safe in order to make sure his dream didn't become a reality.

"Do you think Obi-Wan could help us?"

He grew suspicious at this.

"Have you told him anything?"

"No, but he's your mentor, your best friend. He must suspect something already."

She was probably right, but he saw no reason to risk it. "Its one thing for him to suspect, but it's another thing to just come out and say it. He's been like a brother, a father to me, and I know he's your friend also, but he's still on the council. He'd have no choice but to report me. I don't want to risk it."

"I won't say anything, Anakin. But don't you trust him?"

"Of course I do, and I know he trusts me to, but I'm just not ready to tell him anything yet" replied Anakin, who couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for keeping so much from Obi-Wan.

"I'm sure you'll come to it in your own time and in your own way then."

She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.

"It's getting cold, Anakin. Let's get back to bed.

"Alright" he said as he walked with her back to the bedroom.

Lying back down in bed, he wondered, and feared, if the dream would become reoccurring as it had been with his mother. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his wife die again, or seeing that faceless and fiery demonic being.


End file.
